Inspiration, ideas and information to help women build public speaking content, confidence and credibility. Denise Graveline is a Washington, DC-based speaker coach who has coached nearly 200 TEDMED and TEDx speakers--including one of 2016's most popular TED talks. She also has prepared speakers for presentations, testimony, and keynotes. She offers 1:1 coaching and group workshops in public speaking, presentation and media interview skills to both men and women.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Eloquent women take notes from all sorts of sources, men included, and so we note that the New York Times Magazine interviews John F. Kennedy's speechwriter Ted Sorensen, today, in part about his forthcoming memoir. He proves as eloquent an interview subject as a speechwriter. Here's Deborah Solomon's question, and his answer, about the power of eloquent speech from a president:

What do you make of Hillary’s comment that Obama’s promises and speeches are “just words”? Kennedy’s rhetoric when he was president turned out to be a key to his success. His mere words about Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba helped resolve the worst crisis the world has ever known without the U.S. having to fire a shot.

Remember those mere words the next time you're preparing a speech. Think about your potential to impact the audience. Is your speech--and its delivery--going to live up to that promise?